"The superior man is catholic and no partizan. The mean man is a partizan and not catholic." (君子周而不比、小人比而不周。) ─ Confucius, The Analects, 2.XIV, translation by James Legge.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Dear Leader Duped

News that "Kim Jong-il’s subordinates are duping their leader with false or deliberately incomplete reports on national affairs," suggesting "a possible indication that his grip on power may be weakening" — Kim being duped by subordinates.

The "two possible reasons why Kim is being cut out of the information loop" are that "power may be shifting to his son Jong-un, perhaps faster than the North Korean leader desires," and that "the situation in the North, in particular its economy, is simply too bad for Kim’s subordinates to admit."